And george m



(No Model.)

U. J. FRY & G. M. BASFORD. BLOGK SIGNAL APPARATUS.

Patented Dec. 11, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

URIAS J. FRY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, AND GEORGE M. BASFORD, OF OAKPARK, ILLINOIS.

BLOCK-SIGNAL APPARATUS.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530.763, dated December11, 1 894.

Application filed September 1'7, 1894- Sen'al No. 523,205. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, URIAS J. FRY, of Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee and State of Wisconsin, and GEORGE M. BASFORD, of

Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Block-Signal Apparatus; and we dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to electric block signal apparatus of the generalcharacter shown and described in our application, Serial No. 479,553,filed July 5, 1893, and consists of cer- 2o tain improvementshereinafter particularly described and pointed out in the claims, themain objects of such improvements being to render the operation ofapparatus of this class more certain and safe by making it 2 5 moreautomatic and preventing the unauthorized operation of signals throughthe collusion of two or more operators.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same parts inboth figures.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of our improved apparatus, comprisingtwo stations and an intermediate section or block of a single trackrailway, and Fig. 2 is a detail View of a track instrument constitutinga 3 5 part of such apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 1, Aand B designate two stations at the ends of ablock or section, and a. the intermediate block or section of a singletrack railway, provided adjacent to such 0 stations with the usual sidetracks, a a.

Each intermediate station between the terminals of a railway equippedwith our apparatus, is furnished with two separate sets of apparatus forcontrolling the blocks or sec- 5 tions on opposite sides, and theterminal stations are each provided with a single set of apparatus, asshown in the diagram. The several sets of apparatus being alike, we willdescribe but one in detail: that at station A for operation inconnection with that at station B for governing the intermediate blockor section.

C designates a signal such as an ordinary semaphore which in one, ornormal position, denotes danger and indicates to the engineer of anapproaching train that the section of track in advance is blocked; andin another, or abnormal position, denotes safety and indicates that thesection of track in advance is clear.

D is a lever or other mechanical device for manually operating thesignal.

E is a locking device for holding the signal and its operatingconnections in normal position at danger.

e is an electro magnet for releasing said locking device.

F is a polarized magnet or relay, having a fixed and movable contactconnected by the wires 6 of a local circuit with the windings of themagnets and the opposite poles of the main battery G.

H is a pole-changing switch having two movable arms or contactsconstantly connected with the opposite poles of said battery G, two ofits fixed contacts, h and it connected respectively by a wire, 1, withthe ground, and a wire Z with the main line or electric circuit betweenthe two stations, and another fixed contact h connected with the movablepart of a circuit breaker I, which controls the ground connection ofsaid pole-changing switch for a reversed current.

J is a locking device for holding the circuit breaker I open. It isarranged to be moved into engagement with and to open the circuitbreaker I by a hook 77. connected with the pole-changing switch when thelatter is shifted from normal to abnormal and again returned to normalposition. 90

L designates a telegraphic transmitting and receiving instrument orinstruments in a branch 1 of the main circuit for communication withstation B.

M is aswitch having two fixed contacts, one connected with wire 1 andthe other with the windings of the polarized magnet F and a movable armor contact connected by a wire at with one contact of acircuit breakerN, which has another contact permanently connected with the main line,and is arranged to be antomatically opened by the movement of thesemaphore to danger. It is preferably applied to the semaphore post asclose as practicable to the semaphore arm.

The construction and arrangement of the parts above mentioned are likeor similar to those shown in our former application hereinbeforereferred to.

The magnet K, which controls the locking device J of circuitbreakerl, isplaced in what may be designated a primary local circuit 70,. providedwith a battery 75 and two circuit breakers 7& and k one of which iscontrolled by a magnet O in a train circuit 0, furnished with a battery0, and the other by a magnet P in an auxiliary or secondary traincircuit p, furnished with a battery 19".

0 is another circuit which may be desig nated the secondary localcircuit, including the windings of magnet O, and the battery 0, andprovided with two circuit breakers 0 and 0 the first of which iscontrolled and closed by the pole-changing switch H in normal position,while the second is controlled by the magnet O.

The wires of circuit 0 are connected with contacts t and t of a trackinstrument T, which may be like or similar to that shown in detail inFig. 2, located just outside of the yard limit of the station indicatedby dotted line X, Fig. 1. The instrument T, as shown, consistsessentially of a lever 25 one end of which is held normally by a stiffspring t a little above the adjacent track rail in the path of wheelsrunning thereon, while the other end projects be tween contact springs25 and t and of fixed contacts i and t with which said springs engagewhen released by lever 25. In the normal position of said lever, thespring i engages the contact 25 thus closing circuit 3, but when saidlever is depressed by the passage of a car wheel, it moves springt awayfrom contact 15 and allows spring 25 to engage contact t therebytemporarily opening circuit sand closing circuit 0. The wires ofcircuitp are preferably connected with insulated rails a a of the mainand side tracks within the yard limits, said insulated rails beinglocated a sufficient distance from the instrument '1 to permit theswitching of trains from the main to the side track without passing oversaid track instrument.

q is a circuit breaker controlling the connection of the contact 7L2 ofthe pole-changing switch with the main line through branch Z for areversed current from battery G to the main line. It is controlled byamagnet Q in a normally open local circuit q, furnished with a battery gand connected with the contact h and a contact h of the pole-changingswitch H. The connection of the main line through branch Z with contactit includes the windings of said magnet Q, and the contacts k and h areso arranged that one of the movable arms or contacts of thepole-cha'nging switch will bridge the space between them and thustemporarily close the circuit q when said switch is shifted from normalto abnormal position, said circuit 1 being thus closed until the othermovable arm or contact of the switch engages with the contact 7L3,thereby closing the main circuit through the coils of magnet Q beforethe local circuit q is broken. By this means, in connection with thecircuit breaker N at the next station, the operator is prevented, bycollusion with the operator at that station, from retaining hispole-changing switch in abnormal position so as to again release thesignal at the distant station after it has once been released to admit atrain into the intervening block until that train has cleared the block.

R is a switch connected with and operated by the pole-changing switchII. Its movable arm or contact is permanently connected by a wire 1'with the movable part of the circuit breaker I, and one of its fixedcontacts 0' is connected by a wire fwith the coils of the polarizedmagnet F, while its other fixed contact 7" is connected by a wire 0'with the branch Z of the main circuit. The contact 0" is so located asto be engaged by the movable arm or contact of the switch R while thepole-changing switch bridges the contacts 7L2 and 71 but to be clearedby said movable arm or contact as soon as the pole-changing switchclears the contact 7L4. By this means the operator is prevented fromreleasing the signal at the distant station by holding his polechangingswitch in position to close the circuit g, because in this position theswitch R will short circuit the battery G, as hereinafter explained, andthus prevent sending a reversed current through the main line.

S is an electro magnetic device for severing the connection between thelever D and the signal, and allowing the latter to resume its normal ordanger position when said lever is left in abnormal position. It isincluded ICC in a local train circuit 5 furnished with a 1 battery 3 andconnected with contacts t and t of the track instrument T. By this meansa train entering the block at that station is enabled to automaticallyrestore the signal to danger if the operator neglects to do so.

To remind the operator to return his sig nal lever D to normal dangerposition, the branch I of the main line is connected with the ground bya branch U, which has a circuit controller U held open by the signallocking device, or other convenient part connected with lever D whensaid lever is in normal position, but closed, and thus shunting or shortcircuiting the transmitting and receiving instrument L when said leveris in abnormal position, thereby cutting 01f communication with the nextstation.

To prevent the accidental disengagement of the signal locking device Eby the polarized magnet F when an abnormally strong current passes inthe required direction through the main line, as when an electric lightwire or other conductor of a strong ourrent crosses or comes in contactwith the main line of our system, we provide in the local circuit e acircuit breaker e held normally closed against a contact a by a spring,and carrying the front stop or contact of the polarized magnet. Thetension of this spring is such that the ordinary current employed tooperate the apparatus will not overcome it andopen circuit e, but willyield to an abnormally strong current, open said circuit 6 and renderthe releasingmagnet e inoperative. The operation of our improvedapparatus may be explained as follows: The several parts being in normalposition, as shown in Fig. 1, with the signals at danger, suppose that atrain wishes to enter the block between A and B at A, the operator at Aasks the operator at B to release his signal. The intermediate blockbeing clear, the operator at B so informs the operator at A, andthereupon shifts his pole-changing switch H into abnormal position inengagement with the contacts 71, and h thus reversing the poles of hisbattery G to the main line. The operator at A at the same time shiftshis switch M to connect his polar relay F with the main line. Thecircuit 6 being thus closed, energizes magnet e, releases the lockingdevice E and lever 'D. A then moves his signal by means of said lever toclear and permits the train to enter the block. As it passes over thetrack instrument T it will temporarily open the circuit 5, disengage thereleasing device S, and allow the signal to resume its normal dangerposition if it has not already been restored to that position by theoperator. At the same time the track instrument T will temporarily closethe circuit 0.

This operation however, as well as the temporary closing of circuit 10by'the passage of a train in this direction, is immaterial under theconditions mentioned, because the circuit breakers k and 0 were alreadyclosed. The operator at A in clearing his signal 0 for the train toenter the block toward B, breaks the main circuit at N, so that if theoperator at B has held his pole-changing switch in abnormal position,the magnet Q will be de-energized and the main circuit for a reversedcurrent at B will be opened by the circuit breaker q and cannot be'againrestored by either operator until the train which has just entered theblock at A clears it at B.

As hereinbefore stated, while the polechanging switch closes the circuitq, a reversed current cannot be sent to the main line because the mainbattery G is short circuited by the switch R, the current flowing fromsaid battery through one arm of the pole-changing switch, contact 71wire T the arm of switch R, contact r, wires r and Z, circuit breaker q,the windings of magnet Q, a part of the circuit q, contact h and theother arm of the pole-changing switch, thence to the battery. To effectthe reversal of the current through the main line, it is thereforenecessary to complete the movement of the pole-changing switch to itsabnormal position, and by so doing the hook 71. is engaged with thelocking device .I. If now said switch is moved back toward its normalposition sufficiently to close the circuit q, the looking device J willbe carried into engagement with the movable arm or contact of circuitbreaker I and break the ground connection, or circuit of thepole-changing switch and battery for a reversed current to the mainline. By moving the pole-changing switch out of normal position, thecircuit breaker o is permitted to open the secondary local circuit 0thereby de-energizing magnet O and permitting the circuit breakers I62and o to open. The disengagement of the circuit breaker I from thelocking device J is thus prevented, and the connection between thepole-changing switch and battery, through wire 2' with the ground, at B,is positively held open until the train which has entered the block at Aclears it at B. In this way the admission of another train at A isprevented while the block is occupied. \Vhen the train passes over thetrack instrument T at B, it temporarily closes the circuit 0, energizesmagnet O and closes the circuit breakers k and 0 at B, thus placing theprimary local circuit in condition to be controlled by the circuitbreaker 70 The action of the train in temporarily opening the circuit 8in this case is immaterial, because the signal at B is already atdanger. As the train passes over the insulated rails a either on themain track a, or side track a, it closes the circuit 12 and energizesthe magnet I, which in turn closes the circuit breaker k The magnet K isthus energized and releases the movable arm of circuit breaker I fromthe locking device J, whichis retracted byaspring. The circuit breaker Iis, however, held open by the magnet K while any part of a train is uponthe insulated rails 00*, and the operator at B is thus prevented fromsending a reversed current to the main line and releasing the signal atA until the train has cleared theinsulated rails a By this means, it thetrain passes upon the side track it must completely clear the main trackbefore another train can be admitted to the block at A. As soon as theinsulated rails a are cleared by the train, the circuit breaker I closesautomatically and establishes the ground connection of the polechangingswitch and battery at B for a reversed current. VVhen a trainapproaching a station clears the track instrument '1, the circuit 0 willbe opened at that point, but the pole-changingswitch H,having beenreturned to normal position, closes the circuit breaker 0 and thecircuit 0 through battery 0', thereby energizing the magnet 0 so as tohold the circuit breakers 70 and 0 closed when the circuit 0 is openedby the track instrument T. While the train which has entered the blockat A occupies the block, another train cannot be admitted in theopposite direction at B, because the circuit breakerl which has beenopened at B to admit the train at A remains open, as above explained,till that train clears the track at B, and not only breaks the circuitof the pole-changin g switch and main battery at B for a reversedcurrent to the main line, but also breaks the ground connection orcircuit of the polarized magnet F at B; such circuit being from saidmagnet F, through the wire f, switch R, wire 7*, circuit breaker I andwire 1'.

Portions of main battery G may be utilized for any or all of the localcircuits.

It will be understood that the signal locking mechanism E, and theseveral circuit controlling devices, are to be suitably inclosed so asto prevent unauthorized access thereto by the operators and anyunwarranted interference with the circuits controlling the operation ofthe signals.

We claim- 1. In block signal apparatus, the combination with a main lineor electric circuit connecting stations, each of which is provided witha signal, an electro-magnetic signal look ing device and means ofreleasing the look ing device of the distant station; or" a circuitbreaker adapted to render the signal releasing means inoperative afterit has been operated, a magnet controlling said circuit breaker in alocal circuit provided with two circuit breakers, which are controlledby separate train circuits or track instruments, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

2. In block signal apparatus, the combination with a main line orelectric circuit connecting stations, each of which has a suitablesignal, an electro-magnetic signal locking device and means of releasingthe locking device of the distant station; of a circuit breaker adaptedto render said releasing means inoperative after each operation thereof,a magnet controlling said circuit breaker in a local circuit providedwith two circuit breakers, magnets controlling said two circuit breakersin separate train controlled circuits and a secondary local circuitincluding the windings of one of said magnets and provided with twocircuit breakers, one controlled by the included magnet and the other bythe signal releasing means, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

3. In block signal apparatus, the combination with a main line orelectric circuit connecting stations, each of which is provided with asignal, a signal locking device, a polarized magnet controlling saidlocking device, and a pole changing switch; of a circuit breakercontrolling the main circuit for reversed currents and arranged to beopened by the operation of the pole changing switch, a locking devicefor holding said circuit breaker open and a magnet controlling saidlocking device in a local circuit, having two circuit breakers,controlled by separate train circuits, whereby the passage of anapproaching train over two points in one direction only is necessary toclose or restore the main circuit, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

4, In block signal apparatus, the combination with a main line orelectric circuit connecting stations, each of which is provided with asignal, a signal locking device, apolarized magnet controlling saidlocking device, and a pole changing switch; of a circuit breakercontrolling the main circuit for re versed currents, and arranged to beopened by the operation of the pole changing switch, a locking devicefor holding said circuit breaker open, a magnet for releasing saidlocking device in a primary local circuit having a circuit breaker, amagnet controlling said circuit breaker in a train circuit, and asecondary local circuit, having two circuit breakers, one controlled bythe magnet in the train circuit and the other by the pole changingswitch whereby the pole changing switch opens the primary local circuitwhen the current is reversed in the main line, but cannot close it, andan incoming train alone is enabled to close said primary localcircuit,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In block signal apparatus, the combination with a main line orelectric circuit connecting stations, each of which is provided with asignal, a signal locking device, a polarized magnet controlling saidlocking device, and a pole changing switch; of a circuit breakercontrolling the main circuit for reversed currents and arranged to beopened by the operation of the pole changing switch, a locking devicefor holding said circuit breaker open, a magnet for releasing saidlocking device in a primary local circuit having two circuit breakers,train circuits having magnets controlling said two circuit breakers, anda secondary local circuit having two circuit breakers, one controlled bya magnet in one of the train circuits and the other by the pole changingswitch, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In block signal apparatus, the combination with an electric circuitconnecting stations, one of which has asignal,asignal looking device anda polarized magnet controlling said locking device, and the other, apole changing switch; of a circuit breaker in the circuit of said polechanging switch for a reversed current, a magnet controlling saidcircuit breaker and having its windings included in the same circuit anda circuit breaker at the distant station arranged to be opened by theadmission of a train at that station into the intervening block and todeenergize the magnet controlling the circuit breaker at the otherstation, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In block signal apparatus, the combination with a main line orelectric circuit connecting stations, each of which has a signal, asignal locking device, a polarized magnet controlling said lockingdevice and a pole changing switch; of a circuit breaker controlling themain circuit for a reversed current, a magnet controlling said circuitbreaker and included in said main circuit, and a local circuit alsoincluding said magnet and rendered effective to close said circuitbreaker by the movement of the pole changing switch from normal toabnormal position, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

S. In block signal apparatus, the combination with a main electriccircuit connecting stations, each of which is furnished with a signal, asignal locking device, a polarized magnet controlling said lockingdevice and a pole changing switch; of a circuit breaker controlling themain circuit for a reversed current, a normally open local circuitarranged to be closed by the pole changing switch in its movement fromnormal to abnormal position, a magnet controlling said circuit breakerand included both in the main and local circuits, and a switch orcircuit controller operated by the pole changing switch to short circuitthe main battery connected therewith when the local circuit is closed,

substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

9. In block signal apparatus, the combination with a main electriccircuit connecting stations, each of which has a suitable signal, and asignal locking device, of a magnet for releasing said locking device ina local circuit, provided with a circuit breaker, and a polarized magnetadapted to be connected through the main line or circuit with thedistant station, and arranged when energized by a normal reversedcurrent to close said local circuit, but when energized by an abnormallystrong reversed current, to operate said circuit breaker and open thelocal circuit, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our own we affix oursignatures in presence of two witnesses.

URIAS J. FRY. GEORGE M. BASFORD.

Witnesses:

L. THOMAS,- H. B. GREGG.

